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The Atlantic puffin (''ラテン語:Fratercula arctica''), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin, are found in the northeastern Pacific. The Atlantic puffin breeds in Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland and many North Atlantic islands, and as far south as Maine in the west and the British Isles in the east. With a large population and a wide range, the species is not considered to be endangered, although there may be local declines in numbers. On land, it has the typical upright stance of an auk. At sea, it swims on the surface and feeds mainly on small fish, which it catches by diving underwater, using its wings for propulsion. This puffin has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches and white underparts. Its broad, boldly marked red and black beak and orange legs contrast with its plumage. It moults while at sea in the winter and some of the bright-coloured facial characteristics are lost. The external appearance of the adult male and female are identical except that the male is usually slightly larger. The juvenile has similar plumage but its cheek patches are dark grey. The juvenile does not have brightly coloured head ornamentation, its bill is less broad and is dark-grey with a yellowish-brown tip, and its legs and feet are also dark. Puffins from northern populations are typically larger than their counterparts in southern parts of the range. It is generally considered that these populations are different subspecies. Spending the autumn and winter in the open ocean of the cold northern seas, the Atlantic puffin returns to coastal areas at the start of the breeding season in late spring. It nests in clifftop colonies, digging a burrow in which a single white egg is laid. The chick mostly feeds on whole fish and grows rapidly. After about six weeks it is fully fledged and makes its way at night to the sea. It swims away from the shore and does not return to land for several years. Colonies are mostly on islands where there are no terrestrial predators but adult birds and newly fledged chicks are at risk of attacks from the air by gulls and skuas. Sometimes a bird such as an Arctic skua will harass a puffin arriving with a beakful of fish, causing it to drop its catch. The striking appearance, large colourful bill, waddling gait and behaviour of this bird have given rise to nicknames such as "clown of the sea" and "sea parrot". It is the official bird symbol for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ==Taxonomy and etymology== }} |2= }} }} }} |2= |2= }} |2= |2= |2= }} }} }} }} }} }} The Atlantic puffin is a species of seabird in the order Charadriiformes. It is in the auk family, Alcidae, which includes the guillemots, typical auks, murrelets, auklets, puffins and the razorbill. The rhinoceros auklet (''Cerorhinca monocerata'') and the puffins are closely related, together composing the tribe Fraterculini. The Atlantic puffin is the only species in the genus ''Fratercula'' to occur in the Atlantic Ocean. Two other species are known from the northeast Pacific, the tufted puffin (''Fratercula cirrhata'') and the horned puffin (''Fratercula corniculata''), the latter being the closest relative of the Atlantic puffin. The scientific name ''Fratercula'' comes from the Medieval Latin ''fratercula'', friar, a reference to the black and white plumage which resembles monastic robes. The specific name ''arctica'' refers to the northerly distribution of the bird, being derived from the Greek ''άρκτος'' ("arktos"), the bear, referring to the northerly constellation, the Great Bear. The vernacular name ''puffin'' – puffed in the sense of swollen – was originally applied to the fatty, salted meat of young birds of the unrelated species Manx shearwater (''Puffinus puffinus''), which (in 1652) was known as the "Manks puffin". It is an Anglo-Norman word (Middle English ''pophyn'' or ''poffin'') used for the cured carcasses. The Atlantic puffin acquired the name at a much later stage, possibly because of its similar nesting habits,〔Lee & Haney (1996)〕 and it was formally applied to ''Fratercula arctica'' by Pennant in 1768.〔 While the species is also known as the common puffin, "Atlantic Puffin" is the English name recommended by the International Ornithological Congress.〔Gill, Frank, and Minturn Wright, ''Birds of the World: Recommended English Names'' Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J. 2006.〕 There are considered to be three subspecies: * ''Fratercula arctica arctica'' * ''Fratercula arctica grabae'' * ''Fratercula arctica naumanni'' The only morphological difference between the three is their size. Body length, wing length and size of beak all increase at higher latitudes. For example, a puffin from northern Iceland (subspecies ''naumanii'') weighs about and has a wing length of while one from the Faroes (subspecies ''grabae'') weighs and has a wing length of . Individuals from southern Iceland (subspecies ''arctica'') are intermediate between the other two in size. Ernst Mayr has argued that the differences in size are clinal and are typical of variations found in peripheral population and that no subspecies should be recognised. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Atlantic puffin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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